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10 kilometres’ worth of natural habitats planted in Delta

The Delta Farmland & Wildlife Trust recently planted its 26 th hedgerow at West Coast Seeds in Ladner. A hedgerow is a linear row of mixed trees and shrubs typically planted along field margins.
hedgerow
The Delta Farmland & Wildlife Trust recently planted its 26th hedgerow at West Coast Seeds in Ladner.

The Delta Farmland & Wildlife Trust recently planted its 26th hedgerow at West Coast Seeds in Ladner.

A hedgerow is a linear row of mixed trees and shrubs typically planted along field margins. The organization has been administering a Hedgerow Stewardship Program for 26 years, which covers the cost of planting and subsequent maintenance.

At 315 metres long, the newest addition brings the total length of hedgerows planted by the trust to just under 10 kilometres. A total of 632 native trees and shrubs were planted.

“The trust was fortunate to receive an increase in funding from the City of Delta for the 2019 year,” said program manager Drew Bondar. “This funding helps us cover the costs for projects such as hedgerow plantings, which are not a cheap investment. The total cost for the hedgerow planted at West Coast Seeds was approximately $20,000 and that’s excluding necessary maintenance that will be required over the next couple years to assist with establishment.”

Bondar said there are many benefits to planting new and maintaining existing hedgerows.

“Hedgerows provide year-round foraging and nesting habitat for a diversity of bird and insect species,” he said. “Through four years of field studies conducted in partnership with the British Columbia Institute of Technology, we observed over 60 bird species utilizing hedgerows planted by DF&WT. Preserving existing hedgerows and increasing the area of natural habitat has been identified as one of the largest contributors to improving biodiversity on farmland. There has also been plenty of research globally that shows reductions in pest pressures and improved crop pollination when natural habitats are increased in an agricultural landscape.”

He said because farmland in Metro Vancouver is some of the most expensive in the country some farmers have to remove natural habitat to secure enough land for their operations and maximize the area of each field under production.

Hedgerows can also pose management challenges for a farmer, including shading portions of a field, decreasing air flow and damaging farm equipment. There is also some concern that hedgerows may harbour pest species.

Bondar said in order to look into the concerns and benefits that natural habitats such as hedgerows can provide an agricultural operation, the trust recently submitted a grant to fund research in partnership with UBC.

“The goal of the research is to evaluate how restoring portions of agricultural land with natural habitat can support populations of beneficial insects and the impact that those populations may have on crop yields and overall profitability,” he said.

He said the hope is to quantify the economic benefits of enhancing farmland with natural habitat.

Bondar said the trust is always looking for farmers interested in planting a hedgerow.